Creative Writing Workshops

First Saturday Creative Writing Series at the Hermitage
(Three Sessions or pay per session)
Instructed by Lynn Bryant
3 Week series:
$50 members
$70 non-members
Per session:
$20 members
$30 non-members

Nature Writing Inspired by the Hermitage
Saturday, October 1, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Explore the Living Shoreline on the east side of the grounds, the plants in the Circular Garden, and the view of the Lafayette River from the grotto, as well as the many surprises the Hermitage Museum and Gardens can reveal to you on any given day. Moving inside, we’ll tour the special exhibit of two artists (Mixed Media Artist Travis Cohn and Photographer Ed Pollard) exploring various concepts of nature through reclamation. You’ll use this stimulus and inspiration as we study the elements of nature writing. You will craft an essay or poem, which focuses on nature’s beauty, her contradictions and complexities, her spirituality, and her connection to humanity, to art, to you.
Register for this Class

The Inspiration of Portraits
Saturday, November 5, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Portraits can capture a subject’s character. While the point of view may be guided by what the subject wants the world to see, these highly personal representations can also reveal subtleties and secrets that the subject might not have known would be embodied in their image. You will study portraits of the Sloane family and the architecture of their home. Bring a hand full of your family photographs. We will focus on the fundamentals of memoir and biographical writing as you craft a narrative that zooms in on the subjects of your photographs and the unique places they inhabited, especially in comparison to your memories. What impact did the spaces where the subject dwelled have on him, her, or you as a result of their legacy? You will create a narrative account of this personal journey.
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Meaning in Writing Inspired by Symbols in Art
Saturday, December 3, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
What images recur in your dreams? Do these objects or concepts travel into your daylight adventures and responsibilities as elusive threads just beyond your grasp? How are they connected to you, to a problem you’ve been trying to solve, to a character you’ve been meaning to write about? We will study several works of art to describe the elements and symbols the artist uses to depict his or her story. You may find a direct correlation between these visual works and your unconnected fragments. A nagging image, a scent, a perfectly imagined or real-life symbol can lead to a series of serendipities involving related events, mysterious characters, conflicting beliefs; a story that only you can write. We will study the basic elements of crafting creative narratives as you begin a short story.
Register for this Class

For more information on classes at the Visual Arts School contact Public Programs at 757-423-2052 x 203 or programs@thfm.org.

Hermitage Museum & Gardens
7637 North Shore Road
Norfolk VA 23505

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